ST. IRENAEUS OF LYONS AGAINST THE HERESIES

TRANSLATED AND ANNOTATED

BY

DOMINIC J. UNGER, O.F.M. CAP.

Late of St. Patrick Friary Saint Louis, Missouri

WITH FURTHER REVISIONS

BY

JOHN J. DILLON

VOLUME I

Book I

THE NEWMAN PRESS

New York, N.Y. / Mahwah, N.J.

COPYRIGHT © 1992

BY

CAPUCHIN PROVINCE OF MID-AMERICA

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Irenaeus, Saint, Bishop of Lyons.

[Adversus haereses. English]

Against the heresies/St. Irenaeus of Lyons; translated and annotated by Dominic J. Unger with further revisions by John J. Dillon.

p. cm.—(Ancient Christian writers; no. 55–)

Translation of: Adversus haereses.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 0-8091-0454-7 (v. 1)

1. Gnosticism—Controversial literature—Early works to 1800. 2. Theology, Doctrinal—Early works to 1800. I. Unger, Dominic J. II. Dillon, John J. III. Title. IV. Series: Ancient Christian writers; no. 55, etc.

BR60.A35 no.55, etc.

[BR65.I63]

270 s—dc20

[239′.3]

91-40838

CIP

Published by The Newman Press

an imprint of Paulist Press

997 Macarthur Boulevard

Mahwah, New Jersey 07430

www.paulistpress.com

Ancient Christian Writers

THE WORKS OF THE FATHERS IN TRANSLATION

edited by

WALTER J. BURGHARDT

THOMAS COMERFORD LAWLER

JOHN J. DILLON

No. 55

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Title and Authenticity

Time of Composition

Irenaeus’s Readers

Purpose and Plan of Adversus Haereses

Style

Scripture and Tradition

Manuscript History

Printed Editions

TEXT

Preface

Chapter 1: The Valentinians’ Absurd Explanation of the Origin of the Aeons

Chapter 2: The Defection of Wisdom outside the Fullness and Her Restoration by Limit. The Emission of Christ and the Formation of Jesus

Chapter 3: The Valentinians Misuse the Scriptures in Support of Their Errors

Chapter 4: The Formation of Achamoth and of the Material World from Her Passion

Chapter 5: The Formation of Demiurge and of Man

Chapter 6: The Threefold Element in Persons. The Formation of Savior. Salvation is through Knowledge, Hence Good Works are Useless

Chapter 7: The Three Classes of Persons and Their Eternal Lot

Chapter 8: The Valentinians Pervert the Scriptures in Order to Prove Their Fabrications outside the Fullness

Chapter 9: Refutation of the Gnostic Use of the Scriptures

Chapter 10: The Rule of the Truth Is One in the Church Throughout the World

Chapter 11: The System of Valentinus and His Followers

Chapter 12: Tenets of the Followers of Ptolemaeus and Colorbasus

Chapter 13: The Deceitful Arts and Wicked Practices of Marcus

Chapter 14: The Marcosian System in Numbers and Letters

Chapter 15: The Account of Silence to Marcus about the Generation of the Twenty-Four Characters and of Jesus

Chapter 16: The Absurd Interpretations of the Marcosians

Chapter 17: The Marcosian Theory That Created Things Were Made after the Pattern of the Invisible Beings

Chapter 18: The Marcosians Distort Passages of the Pentateuch to Support Their Fabrications about Creation

Chapter 19: The Marcosians Allege the Scriptures Prove That First-Father Was Unknown ...

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About St. Irenaeus of Lyons: Against the Heresies, Volume 1, Book 1

Against the Heresies establishes Irenaeus as the most important theologian of the second century. It is a detailed and effective refutation of Gnosticism, and a major source of information on the various Gnostic sects and doctrines in early Christianity.

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Table of Contents